Shaheen Presses Hegseth on Tariff Disruption to America’s Defense Industrial Base, National Security

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, today questioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Caine during a Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing examining the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense. During her questioning, Shaheen pressed Hegseth on the impacts of the administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum on the defense industrial base, supply chain lead times and our overall military readiness. Click here to watch Shaheen’s full remarks and questions.  

Key Quotes from Shaheen: 

• On the impacts of steel and aluminum tariffs on lead times and the defense industrial base, Shaheen said: “Mr. Secretary, when you were asked about the impact of President Trump's tariffs under Section 232 on the defense industrial base, you commented that you're in the business of tanks, not trade—but you can't buy tanks without trade. And the administration's steel and aluminum tariffs are having an impact on the lead times for our defense industrial base. [...] And how are we going to address that if we need munitions or tanks or whatever it is, and we don't have the steel and aluminum because of the tariffs?” 

• On Secretary Hegseth’s comments that the first Trump administration gave javelins to Ukraine, Shaheen said: “Let me just correct the record here before I close. I'm out of time. But, Mr. Secretary, you pointed out that javelins were given to Ukraine during the first Trump administration, and I support that. But I would point out that [President Trump] was impeached over holding up giving those javelins and equipment to Ukraine. So I think as we look at the record, we ought to try and be accurate about how we portray things.” 

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last month, Shaheen raised concerns about how the President’s trade war harms defense supply chains and ultimately weakens America’s military readiness. The Senator expressed how tariffs on imports will increase prices for the Department of Defense’s defense acquisitions – harming its purchasing power and further raising costs on small businesses.  

Citing national security concerns and a lack of qualifications on the Senate floor, Shaheen announced in January that Hegseth would be the first nominee for Secretary of Defense that she opposed since joining the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in 2011. 

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